Open AccessApplication of a stool antigen test to evaluate the burden of Helicobacter pylori infection in dyspepsia patients
Author(s) -
Rumpa Saha,
Priyamvada Roy,
Shukla Das,
Navneet Kaur,
Ankita Kumari,
Inderdeep Kaur
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
indian journal of pathology and microbiology/indian journal of pathology and microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.217
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 0974-5130
pISSN - 0377-4929
DOI - 10.4103/0377-4929.174819
Subject(s) - helicobacter pylori , medicine , gastroenterology , helicobacter pylori infection , endoscopy , antigen , spirillaceae , peptic ulcer , disease , immunology , gastritis
Helicobacter pylori (HP) is causally associated with peptic ulcer disease and gastric carcinoma. Determination of the prevalence of HP infection in dyspepsia patients' in particular geographical area is imperative for the appropriate management of dyspepsia. HP antigen detection in stool is a noninvasive diagnostic test of HP infection. This prospective study was conducted to find out the prevalence of HP infection based on stool antigen testing in dyspeptic patients who had also undergone upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy. This study highlights the high prevalence of HP infection in dyspeptic Indian patients, particularly males, and emphasizes the growing importance of the bacterium causing infection among children. We also found HP stool antigen testing to be superior to upper GI endoscopy for detecting HP infection. Hence, we recommend initial testing for HP stool antigen in dyspeptic patients before initiating treatment and before carrying out any invasive procedure such as endoscopy.